Middleboro: Decision on $2mil grant expected Monday

 A $2 million federal grant to hire 16- firefighters in Middleboro could be rejected by selectmen on Monday.

The vote, which hinges on union negotiations, will be taken after the board meets with the Town Manager in a closed-door session.

In May, Middleboro Fire Chief Lance Benjamino was awarded the grant to cover the firefighters’ salaries for two years.

He wants to hire dual-trained personnel to run a town-owned ambulance service to subsidize the salaries for a third year, when the town is required to cover the payroll.

But Middleboro selectmen say even with that, there would still be between $100, 000 and $300,000 in uncovered costs, so they need the union concessions to make the grant financially-feasible in the third year.

The funding would enable Middleboro to open all three of its fire stations full-time.